Engineering Commons^™

Tribocorrosion And Metal Release From Austenitic Stainless Steels 304 And 201 In Simulated Cassava Food Contact, Robert Addai, Temitope E. Olowoyo, Thalia E. Standish, Jeffrey Daniel Henderson, Ubong Eduok, Yolanda Hedberg

Chemistry Publications

Cassava is the third most significant calorie source in the tropics. Its processing has changed from traditional methods to stainless steel processing machines. This study investigated the influence of cassava on metal release from two common stainless steels, ASTM 304 and 201, with and without friction, and on tribocorrosion (multianalytically) of 304. Cassava was relatively corrosive and hindered repassivation of the surface oxide of stainless steel, but it also acted as a lubricant against mechanical friction. The combined action of friction and cassava caused a significant increase in iron, chromium, nickel, and manganese release from the stainless steels (30–35- fold …

Automated Large-Scale Tornado Treefall Detection And Directional Analysis Using Machine Learning, Daniel G. Butt, Aaron L. Jaffe, Connell S. Miller, Gregory A. Kopp, David Sills

Civil and Environmental Engineering Publications

Abstract

In many regions of the world, tornadoes travel through forested areas with low population densities, making downed trees the only observable damage indicator. Current methods in the EF scale for analyzing tree damage may not reflect the true intensity of some tornadoes. However, new methods have been developed that use the number of trees downed or treefall directions from high-resolution aerial imagery to provide an estimate of maximum wind speed. Treefall Identification and Direction Analysis (TrIDA) maps are used to identify areas of treefall damage and treefall directions along the damage path. Currently, TrIDA maps are generated manually, but …

Vertical Free-Swinging Photovoltaic Racking Energy Modeling: A Novel Approach To Agrivoltaics, Koami Soulemane Hayibo, Joshua M. Pearce

Electrical and Computer Engineering Publications

To enable lower-cost building materials, a free-swinging bifacial vertical solar photovoltaic (PV) rack has been proposed, which complies with Canadian building codes and is the lowest capital-cost agrivoltaics rack. The wind force applied to the free-swinging PV, however, causes it to have varying tilt angles depending on the wind speed and direction. No energy performance model accurately describes such a system. To provide a simulation model for the free-swinging PV, where wind speed and direction govern the array tilt angle, this study builds upon the open-source System Advisor Model (SAM) using Python. After the SAM python model is validated, a …

Corrosion Of Oil Pipeline: A Case Study On The Niger Delta Region Of Nigeria., Victor U. Okoro

Corrosion Research

Corrosion of oil pipelines in Nigeria, particularly in the Niger Delta region, has extensive and detrimental environmental and societal impacts. This issue results in substantial financial losses and reputational damage for oil companies operating in the area. Local communities suffer economically, affecting agriculture and food security. Furthermore, corrosion-related oil spills lead to air quality degradation by releasing volatile organic compounds and greenhouse gases, contributing to respiratory issues and worsening climate change.

These oil spill cleanups are costly and time-consuming, with estimated expenses reaching billions of dollars. Using the Nembe Creek Trunk Line (NCTL) case study, it is evident that addressing …

Corrosion Related To The Nuclear Waste Containers, Ali Ebrahimzadeh Pilehrood

Corrosion Research

The disposal of nuclear waste is a demanding topic, and the existing methods, whether it is temporary storage in spent fuel pools or storage in geological repositories, both face the risk of corrosion-related problems. Any failure in these storage methods can potentially lead to the release of radioactive materials into the environment. To avert such catastrophic scenarios, people in the nuclear industry consistently monitor and maintain these storage facilities endlessly and attempt to improve the plans designed to store nuclear waste. Here, I will examine the nuclear waste management organization (NWMO) plan in Canada. Choosing an appropriate location for the …

Corrosion Of Implant Materials In The Human Body, Maedeh Barzmehri

Corrosion Research

This paper extensively examines the complex problem of implant corrosion occurring within the human body. The corrosion of implants gives rise to substantial challenges, encompassing compromised implant durability, patient safety concerns, and potential adverse impacts on the long-term functionality of the medical device. The study's primary objectives include offering a concise overview of the various corrosion mechanisms that impact a range of implant materials and outlining health complications linked to the byproducts of implant corrosion. Furthermore, it delves into a cost analysis specific to hip or knee revision arthroplasty, which has become a prevalent scenario in implant failure cases on …

Corrosion Case Study On Pipeline, Kangze Ren

Corrosion Research

The Kashagan pipeline leaks were likely caused by sulfur stress corrosion cracking, a combined corrosion mechanism developed by the presence of high pressure, the high level of hydrogen sulfide(the main "ingredient" of sour gas), and poor metallurgical choice. Improper welding and poor metallurgical examination were blamed for causing the leaking issue. The purpose of the current review is to raise the alarm about the inappropriate corrosion management of Kashagan oil production and its societal and environmental consequences.

Synergistic Effect Of Nanoclay And Barium Sulfate Fillers On The Corrosion Resistance Of Polyester Powder Coatings, Jinbao Huang, Marshall Shuai Yang, Chengqian Xian, James Joseph Noel, Yolanda S. Hedberg, Jian Chen, Ubong Eduok, Ivan Barker, Jeffrey Daniel Henderson, Haiping Zhang, Liqin Wang, Hui Zhang, Jesse Zhu

Chemistry Publications

No abstract provided.

Engineering Multifunctional Adhesive Hydrogel Patches For Biomedical Applications, Aishik Chakraborty, Shana Alexander, Wei Luo, Narisse Al-Salam, Mia Van Oirschot, Sudhir H. Ranganath, Subrata Chakrabarti, Arghya Paul

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Publications

Traditional patches, such as sticking plaster or acrylic adhesives used for over a hundred years, lack functionality. To address this issue of poor functionality, adhesive hydrogel patches have emerged as an efficient bioactive multifunctional alternative. Hydrogels are three-dimensional, water-swellable, and polymeric materials closely resembling the native tissue architecture. The physicochemical properties of hydrogels can be modified easily, allowing them to be suitable for various biomedical applications. Moreover, adhesive properties can be imparted to hydrogels through physicochemical manipulations, making them ideal candidates for supplementing or replacing traditional sticking plaster. As a result, sticky hydrogel patches are widely used for transdermal drug …

Using Machine Learning To Assist Auditory Processing Evaluation, Hasitha Wimalarathna, Sangamanatha Veeranna, Minh Vu Duong, Chris Allan Prof, Sumit K. Agrawal, Prudence Allen, Jagath Samarabandu, Hanif M. Ladak

Electrical and Computer Engineering Publications

Introduction: Approximately 0.2–5% of school-age children complain of listening difficulties in the absence of hearing loss. These children are often referred to an audiologist for an auditory processing disorder (APD) assessment. Adequate experience and training is necessary to arrive at an accurate diagnosis due to the heterogeneity of the disorder.

Objectives: The main goal of the study was to determine if machine learning (ML) can be used to analyze data from the APD clinical test battery to accurately categorize children with suspected APD into clinical sub-groups, similar to expert labels.

Methods: The study retrospectively collected data from 134 children referred …

Assessment Of Wind Speeds Along The Damage Path Of The Alonsa, Manitoba Ef4 Tornado On 3 August 2018, Sarah A. Stevenson, Connell S. Miller, David M.L. Sills, Gregory A. Kopp, Daniel M. Rhee, Franklin T. Lombardo

Civil and Environmental Engineering Publications

Given the impracticality of attempting to directly measure wind speeds in tornadoes, wind speed estimation typically relies on the assessment of damage to structures and vegetation using classifications described in the Enhanced Fujita (EF) Scale. The advent of technology enabling the collection of large amounts of data, including detailed ground, drone, and aerial imagery, has led to a growth in research on non-conventional approaches for estimating tornado wind speeds. Research methods focused on defining the tornadic wind field based on forensic analysis of damage observations have shown promise for improving tornado assessments in a quantitative manner. In this study, novel …

Corrosion Case Study On Automobile, Grace Ajayi, Xinran Pan, Geethu Sasikala, Marshall S. Yang

Chemistry Publications

No abstract provided.

Scheduling Electric Vehicle Charging For Grid Load Balancing, Zhixin Han, Katarina Grolinger, Miriam Capretz, Syed Mir

Electrical and Computer Engineering Publications

In recent years, electric vehicles (EVs) have been widely adopted because of their environmental benefits. However, the increasing volume of EVs poses capacity issues for grid operators as simultaneously charging many EVs may result in grid instabilities. Scheduling EV charging for grid load balancing has a potential to prevent load peaks caused by simultaneous EV charging and contribute to balance of supply and demand. This paper proposes a user-preference-based scheduling approach to minimize costs for the user while balancing grid loads. The EV owners benefit by charging when the electricity cost is lower, but still within the user-defined preferred charging …

Estimation Of Free Water-Corrected Microscopic Fractional Anisotropy., Nico J J Arezza, Tales Santini, Mohammad Omer, Corey A Baron

Medical Biophysics Publications

Water diffusion anisotropy MRI is sensitive to microstructural changes in the brain that are hallmarks of various neurological conditions. However, conventional metrics like fractional anisotropy are confounded by neuron fiber orientation dispersion, and the relatively low resolution of diffusion-weighted MRI gives rise to significant free water partial volume effects in many brain regions that are adjacent to cerebrospinal fluid. Microscopic fractional anisotropy is a recent metric that can report water diffusion anisotropy independent of neuron fiber orientation dispersion but is still susceptible to free water contamination. In this paper, we present a free water elimination (FWE) technique to estimate microscopic …

Concentration Field Based Micropore Flow Rate Measurements, Matia P. Edwards, Samuel F. D. J. Gómez, Michael S. H. Boutilier

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Publications

Demand is growing for a larger catalogue of experimental techniques to measure flow rates through micro-/nanoscale systems for both fundamental research and device development. Flow emerging from a hole in a plane wall is a common system of interest in such work for its relevance to membrane separation. In this paper, we consider the possibility of measuring volume flow rates through small scale orifice plates from images of dye dispersions downstream. Based on approximate analytical solutions to the advection–diffusion equation, we show that, at low Reynolds numbers, the concentration in the nearly hemispherical plume that forms increases linearly with inverse …

Direct Air Capture: Catalyzing A Carbon Negative Future, Tagg K. Lee

Civil and Environmental Engineering Publications

Direct Air Capture (DAC) technology has emerged as a promising means to address the escalating challenges of atmospheric carbon dioxide (CO₂) levels and mitigate climate change. This paper provides an elementary overview of DAC, encompassing its underlying principles, technological advancements, and associated challenges. Point Source Carbon Capture is compared against Direct Air Capture with a solid or liquid sorbent, and physisorbents/chemisorbents are outlined. The past decade has seen a steep rise in the usage of chemical sorbents in particular, which are explored alongside their regeneration processes. This review provides an introductory explanation for the mechanisms of common DAC …

Assessment Of Tornado Alerting Performance For Canada, David M.L. Sills, Lesley Elliott

Civil and Environmental Engineering Publications

The Northern Tornadoes Project (NTP) completed a first independent assessment of national tornado warning alerting (watches and warnings) in Canada covering the 2019–2021 period. The NTP undertook this study in the spirit of open data, understanding tornado warning issues unique to this country, and improving tornado warning performance. Utilizing the NTP tornado event database for verification, tornado alerts were reviewed for accuracy and timeliness. For the 250 tornadoes that occurred during the study period–and using a definition of what constitutes a warning ‘hit’ developed for the study–the standard 2 × 2 contingency table scores were Probability of Detection = 0.23, …

Fire-Resistance Testing Procedures For Construction Elements—A Review, Shashikant Chaturvedi, Ajitanshu Vedrtnam, Maged A. Youssef, Martin T. Palou, Gonzalo Barluenga, Kishor Kalauni

Civil and Environmental Engineering Publications

Fire accidents are a significant risk to human life and civil infrastructure. As a countermeasure, the regulatory bodies of different countries have established standards for evaluating the performance of construction elements during fire exposure. ISO 834 is the globally accepted fire-resistance testing standard. Other standards include ASTM E119, BS 476, IS 3809, JIS A 1304, AS 1503, EN 1363, and GB/T 9978, which are utilized by the US, Britain, India, Japan, Australia, Europe, and China, respectively. This article presents a summary and comparison of the fire-resistance testing standards. In reality, standard tests for isolated structural members may not efficiently portray …

Controlling Differentiation Of Adult Stem Cells Via Cell-Derived Nanoparticles: Implications In Bone Repair, Shruthi Polla Ravi, Yasmeen Shamiya, Aishik Chakraborty, Ali Coyle, Alap A. Zahid, Jin Wang, Michael Boutilier, Emmanuel Ho, Arghya Paul

Chemical and Biochemical Engineering Publications

No abstract provided.

Virtual Sensor Middleware: Managing Iot Data For The Fog-Cloud Platform, Fadi Almahamid, Hanan Lutfiyya, Katarina Grolinger

Electrical and Computer Engineering Publications

This paper introduces the Virtual Sensor Middleware (VSM), which facilitates distributed sensor data processing on multiple fog nodes. VSM uses a Virtual Sensor as the core component of the middleware. The virtual sensor concept is redesigned to support functionality beyond sensor/device virtualization, such as deploying a set of virtual sensors to represent an IoT application and distributed sensor data processing across multiple fog nodes. Furthermore, the virtual sensor deals with the heterogeneous nature of IoT devices and the various communication protocols using different adapters to communicate with the IoT devices and the underlying protocol. VSM uses the publish-subscribe design pattern …

Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering With Dynamic Time Warping For Household Load Curve Clustering, Fadi Almahamid, Katarina Grolinger

Electrical and Computer Engineering Publications

Energy companies often implement various demand response (DR) programs to better match electricity demand and supply by offering the consumers incentives to reduce their demand during critical periods. Classifying clients according to their consumption patterns enables targeting specific groups of consumers for DR. Traditional clustering algorithms use standard distance measurement to find the distance between two points. The results produced by clustering algorithms such as K-means, K-medoids, and Gaussian Mixture Models depend on the clustering parameters or initial clusters. In contrast, our methodology uses a shape-based approach that combines Agglomerative Hierarchical Clustering (AHC) with Dynamic Time Warping (DTW) to classify …

Seismic Performance Of Ductile Corrosion-Free Reinforced Concrete Frames, Mohamed Meshaly, Maged A. Youssef, Ahmed Elansary

Civil and Environmental Engineering Publications

Corrosion of steel bars is the main cause of the deterioration of reinforced concrete (RC) structures. To avoid this problem, steel rebars can be replaced with glass-fiber-reinforced-polymer (GFRP). However, the brittle behaviour of GFRP RC elements has limited their use in many applications. The use of shape memory alloy (SMA) and/or stainless steel (SS) rebars can solve this problem, because of their ductile behaviour and corrosion resistance. However, their high price is a major obstacle. To address issues of ductility, corrosion, and cost, this paper examines the hybrid use of GFRP, SS, and SMA in RC frames. The use of …

Model-Based Determination Of The Synchronization Delay Between Mri And Trajectory Data., Paul Ioan Dubovan, Corey Allan Baron

Robarts Imaging Publications

PURPOSE: Real-time monitoring of dynamic magnetic fields has recently become a commercially available option for measuring MRI k-space trajectories and magnetic fields induced by eddy currents in real time. However, for accurate image reconstructions, sub-microsecond synchronization between the MRI data and field dynamics (ie, k-space trajectory plus other spatially varying fields) is required. In this work, we introduce a new model-based algorithm to automatically perform this synchronization using only the MRI data and field dynamics.

METHODS: The algorithm works by enforcing consistency among the MRI data, field dynamics, and receiver sensitivity profiles by iteratively alternating between convex optimizations for (a) …

Optimal Inverter And Wire Selection For Solar Photovoltaic Fencing Applications, Koami Soulemane Hayibo, Joshua M. Pearce

Electrical and Computer Engineering Publications

Despite the benefits and the economic advantages of agrivoltaics, capital costs limit deployment velocity. One recent potential solution to this challenge is to radically reduce the cost of racking materials by using existing farm fencing as vertical photovoltaic (PV) racking. This type of fenced-based PV system is inherently electrically challenging because of the relatively long distances between individual modules that are not present in more densely packed conventional solar PV farms. This study provides practical insights for inverter selection and wire sizing optimization for fence-based agrivoltaic systems. Numerical simulation sensitivities on the levelized cost of electricity (LCOE) were performed for …

Structural Performance Of Single-Skin Glass Façade Systems Exposed To Fire, Mohamed Badr, Maged A. Youssef, Salah El-Din F. El-Fitiany, Ajitanshu Vedrtnam

Civil and Environmental Engineering Publications

Purpose

Understanding the structural performance of external glass curtain walls (façades) during fire exposure is critical for the safety of the occupants, as their failure can lead to fire spread throughout the entire building. This concern is magnified by the recent increase in fire incidents and wildfires. This paper presents the first simplified technique to model single skin façades during fire exposure, and, then utilizes it to examine the structural behaviour of vertical, inclined, and oversized façade panels.

Design/methodology/approach

The proposed technique is based on conducting simplified heat transfer calculations, and, then utilizing a widely used structural analysis software to …

Autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Navigation Using Reinforcement Learning: A Systematic Review, Fadi Almahamid, Katarina Grolinger

Electrical and Computer Engineering Publications

There is an increasing demand for using Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), known as drones, in different applications such as packages delivery, traffic monitoring, search and rescue operations, and military combat engagements. In all of these applications, the UAV is used to navigate the environment autonomously --- without human interaction, perform specific tasks and avoid obstacles. Autonomous UAV navigation is commonly accomplished using Reinforcement Learning (RL), where agents act as experts in a domain to navigate the environment while avoiding obstacles. Understanding the navigation environment and algorithmic limitations plays an essential role in choosing the appropriate RL algorithm to solve the …

Monofacial Vs Bifacial Solar Photovoltaic Systems In Snowy Environments, Koami Soulemane Hayibo, Aliaksei Petsiuk, Pierce Mayville, Laura Brown, Joshua M. Pearce

Electrical and Computer Engineering Publications

There has been a recent surge in interest in the more accurate snow loss estimates for solar photovoltaic (PV) systems as large-scale deployments move into northern latitudes. Preliminary results show bifacial modules may clear snow faster than monofacial PV. This study analyzes snow losses on these two types of systems using empirical hourly data including energy, solar irradiation and albedo, and open-source image processing methods from images of the arrays in a northern environment in the winter. Projection transformations based on reference anchor points and snowless ground truth images provide reliable masking and optical distortion correction with fixed surveillance cameras. …

Foam-Based Floatovoltaics: A Potential Solution To Disappearing Terminal Natural Lakes, Koami Soulemane Hayibo, Joshua M. Pearce

Electrical and Computer Engineering Publications

Terminal lakes are disappearing worldwide because of direct and indirect human activities. Floating photovoltaics (FPV) are a synergistic system with increased energy output because of water cooling, while the FPV reduces water evaporation. This study explores how low-cost foam-based floatovoltaic systems can mitigate the disappearance of natural lakes. A case study is performed on 10%–50% FPV coverage of terminal and disappearing Walker Lake. Water conservation is investigated with a modified Penman-Monteith evapotranspiration method and energy generation is calculated with an operating temperature model experimentally determined from foam-based FPV. Results show FPV saves 52,000,000 m3/year of water and US$6,000,000 at 50% …

Residual Axial Behavior Of Restrained Reinforced Concrete Columns Damaged By A Standard Fire, M. Monir M. Ajan Alhadid, Maged A. Youssef

Civil and Environmental Engineering Publications

A simplified procedure to predict the residual axial capacity and stiffness of both rectangular and circular reinforced concrete (RC) columns after exposure to a standard fire provides the means to replace the current descriptive methods. The availability of such a procedure during the design phase provides engineers with the flexibility to come up with better designs that ensure safety. In this paper, finite difference heat transfer and sectional analysis models are combined to determine the axial behavior of RC columns with various end-restraint conditions at different standard fire durations. The influence of cooling phase on temperature distribution and residual mechanical …

The Greenest Solar Power? Life Cycle Assessment Of Foam-Based Flexible Floatovoltaics, Koami Soulemane Hayibo, Pierce Mayville, Joshua M. Pearce

Electrical and Computer Engineering Publications

This study presents a life cycle analysis (LCA) of a 10 MW foam-based floatovoltaics (FPV) plant installed on Lake Mead, Nevada, U.S. A material inventory of the flexible crystalline silicon (c-Si)-based module involved massing and determination of material composition of the module's encapsulation layers with ATR/FTR spectroscopy and electron microscopy. The LCA was performed using SimaPro and the results were interpreted in terms of cumulative energy demands, energy payback time, global warming potential, GHG emissions, and water footprint including negative values for reduced evaporation. A sensitivity analysis was performed on the lifetime of the modules and the foam-based racking. The …